


When the doctor falls ill

by Etagirl



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 03:11:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19286926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etagirl/pseuds/Etagirl
Summary: Poor Dr, Franken Stein catches the flu and Marie Mjolnir takes care of him. That's pretty much all there is to it. Hurt/comfort and lots of fluff! This takes place when Marie and Stein aren't in a relationship (but it's implied that the two like each other).





	When the doctor falls ill

Stein awoke that morning with a splitting headache. He groaned, sitting up in bed. For whatever reason, that morning he felt like crap. All he wanted to do was burrow under the covers and go back to sleep, but Stein knew he had to get up and teach class. Groggily, he got dressed and made his way to the kitchen, where Marie was making breakfast.  
“Good morning!” she beamed at him.  
“Morning…” Stein sat down at the table and sipped some of the coffee sitting there waiting for him.  
“You alright? You look a bit pale…”  
“I always look pale. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”  
He just needed some breakfast, that was all. That had to be it. Stein thought he’d feel better if he just got some food in his stomach.  
“If you say so.”  
Marie furrowed her brow in concern but decided not to push it. Maybe it was just her imagination. Not long later the eggs were done and the two ate in companionable silence.

\- - -

“Shit, I’m late,” Stein muttered to himself as he made his way to the DWMA.  
Ten minutes past the bell, the mad scientist finally burst into the classroom. His hair was disheveled and his lab coat had a stain on it, but he didn’t care. None of the students seemed to question his lateness, either. They were familiar now with Stein’s schedule and how he often put off coming to class in favor of dissections. Him coming in ten minutes late was no abnormality.  
“Finally, he’s here,” Soul grumbled. “Would it kill him to be on time for once?”  
“Shh, the professor’s talking!” Maka shushed him.  
Stein began his lecture. Halfway through his speech, however, a coughing fit overtook him. It started with a small tickle in his throat when he woke up, but now it had become an unbearable scratchiness that compelled him to cough. When the coughing fit ended, Stein looked up at his students. Maka and the others were taken aback at what they saw.  
Sweat poured down Professor Stein’s face as he weakly coughed again. He was deathly pale and slightly swaying. He steadied himself by placing his hands on his desk.  
“P- professor… are you okay?” Tsubaki tentatively asked.  
“F- fine…” Stein shook his head, attempting to regain composure.  
But now he was shivering, too, and there was a feverish look to his olive green eyes. Stein fixed his gaze on the papers he’d brought, sitting on the desk in front of him.   
Why was this happening to him? Was he sick? No, he couldn’t be. He didn’t get sick. Besides, he had too much work to do to be sick! Also, why did it have to be so damn cold in here? Someone must’ve turned the AC up.  
“Time for a pop quiz,” Stein suddenly said.  
The students groaned. This ought to buy him some time. As the class took their test, Stein leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling and puffing on a cigarette. Big mistake. That cigarette agitated his throat and once again the poor man was thrust into a coughing fit. Angrily, he extinguished the cigarette. Great, now he couldn’t even smoke! A few minutes passed, then half an hour. He felt so tired. Stein’s eyelids fluttered. Without meaning to, he dozed off.  
“Umm, Professor Stein? Excuse me, Professor Stein!” Maka nudged the doctor awake.  
“Hmm? What?!” Stein jolted in his chair.  
“I’m done with the pop quiz, sir.”  
“Me too,” said one student.  
“I’m done too!” said another.  
“Alright, pass the papers up here, and I’ll grade them tonight when I get home.”  
The students did as they were told. Stein checked his watch. Half an hour left. Just thirty minutes. Then he could go home and pass out on his couch. Stein coughed.

\- - -

Somehow, the mad doctor made it through another thirty minutes of teaching and wearily dragged himself home. All he wanted was to collapse right then and there, but first he had to grade these papers. Stein forced himself to put one foot in front of the other and walked over to the computer. There, he set down the stack of papers and began grading them.  
“Stein, I’m home!” Marie called, coming through the door. “I bought groceries!”  
“Thanks,” Stein murmured, fighting desperately with himself to stay awake.  
“Stein? What’s wrong? Your voice sounds hoarse.”  
Marie walked over to him.  
Oh no, he thought. If Marie finds out I’m not feeling well, she’ll send me to bed before I can finish grading all these quizzes. She’ll try to do them all herself!  
“I’m fine,” Stein said without looking at her. “Just a sore throat.”  
“A sore throat?” Marie said thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got just the cure for that! I’ll make you some tea!”  
Stein only nodded, too exhausted to even voice his gratitude now.  
A few minutes later, when Marie came back, Stein was hunched over the pop quizzes, eyes squeezed shut.  
“St- Stein…?” Marie started to worry. He was even paler than before, if that was possible, and there were dark circles under his eyes.  
“Mhm?” Stein looked up.  
“Have you been getting enough sleep lately?”  
“Of cour-” but before he could finish, Stein was interrupted by another coughing fit.  
Marie felt his forehead, then gasped and yanked her hand away.  
“You’re burning up! Stein, why didn’t you say you were sick?! You shouldn’t even have gotten out of bed today!”  
“It’s… nothin…” Stein could barely keep his eyes open.  
“Come on, we’re getting you to bed!” Marie grabbed his arm.  
“No, wait… can’t. Too much work to do…”  
“No, you can’t even think straight. Can’t you see how ill you are? You’re going to bed!”  
Marie tried to drag him to his room but he was too heavy. The furthest she could get was the living room.  
“Sorry, but you’re too heavy for me to take to your room. You’re just gonna have to rest here,” Marie gently deposited Stein on the couch.  
Stein muttered something and closed his eyes. Marie helped him to lie down. He was too tired to resist. A few moments later, Marie left and returned with a pillow and blanket for him. She placed the pillow under his head and draped the blanket over him, tucking him in.  
Stein curled into the blanket’s warmth. He had been so cold all day. Lastly, Marie carefully removed the mad scientist’s glasses and set them down on the coffee table. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally heard the sound of Stein’s soft breathing. Taking a deep breath, Marie then walked to the kitchen to fetch his cup of tea.

\- - -

A few hours later, Stein awoke to a wet washcloth on his forehead. Even so, he still had a headache and felt only slightly less tired.  
“Huh… how did I get here?” Stein looked up at the ceiling, confused. “I was at my desk a few moments ago…”  
“Don’t you remember?” Marie asked, sitting across from him on the other couch. “I brought you here.”  
“How long was I out?” Stein muttered, rubbing his head.  
He needed to get those tests done.  
“Only three hours, go back to sleep. Don’t worry about the quizzes, I’ll grade them.”  
“No, don’t. That’s not fair to you...:”  
Marie sipped her tea in silent contemplation, “...Well, I’m sure the students will understand if they don’t get their tests back tomorrow. In fact, I’m prescribing bed rest for you tomorrow. No way am I letting you teach in your condition!”  
Stein smirked bemusedly, “I thought I was the doctor here.”  
“Not while you’re sick, you’re not,” Marie smiled back at him.  
Stein sighed, defeated. He knew there was no arguing with Marie. Once she made up her mind about something, there was no stopping her. He closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.  
A few minutes later, however, a rough coughing fit prevented him from sleeping. Marie stared at Stein with eyes full of pity and compassion. Poor Stein. He was clearly suffering. That’s when she decided she’d go out and get him some medication from the school infirmary.  
“I’ll be right back,” she said.  
“Where are you going?” Stein’s voice sounded almost pleading.  
“Don’t worry, I won’t be gone long. I’m just going to fetch some medicine from the school infirmary!” Marie stood up and walked towards the door.  
“Okay… just, be back quickly…” Stein blushed.  
He hated feeling so pathetic, so helpless, but… the truth was, he didn’t really want to be alone when he was so sick, either. Marie gave him a kind smile and kept going.

\- - -

Where was she? It’d been half an hour now, and Marie still wasn’t back. Stein began to worry. The school wasn’t that far. Maybe he should check up on her. Make sure she didn’t get lost again. The school was safe enough but still he worried about her getting lost in the city. Especially since the sun was starting to set, and while Death City was relatively safe at night there was still the odd mugging here and there. That and, in his delirious state, Stein wasn’t thinking clearly. He dragged himself out the door and after Marie.  
Eventually, he found her. Unfortunately, it was as he’d feared. Marie had gotten lost somewhere in Death City and it took him an hour to find her. And when he did, she was pressed up against the wall by some delinquent with a knife pressed to her throat. He knew she could handle herself, but at that moment five other delinquents came up behind the first one with weapons. Even Marie would have trouble facing this many people alone.  
“Marie!” Stein yelled, brandishing his soul wavelength.  
In seconds, he knocked out all the delinquents. Unfortunately this also took what little energy Stein had left out of him. He pitched forward and fell.  
“Stein!” Marie ran over and caught him.  
“What are you doing here?! I told you I’d be back soon!”  
“I-” Stein coughed. “I was worried…”  
“Thank you for saving me, but you shouldn’t have done that! Come on, let’s get you back home! I’ve got the medicine.”  
Marie helped Stein back to his laboratory and once again deposited him on the couch. Already his eyelids were beginning to droop.  
“I know you’re exhausted, but you need to stay awake right now. I gotta get some medicine in you.”  
Marie poured some liquid out onto a spoon and put it to his lips. Stein drank the medicine, coughing as it went down.  
“I know it tastes bad, but it should help your cough. And here, for your fever,” Marie offered Stein a pill. Stein reluctantly took the pill along with the cold tea sitting on the coffee table. He choked on his drink though and coughed and sputtered but still somehow managed to get the pill down. Next, Stein laid down but couldn’t get to sleep. Worry for all the responsibilities he had kept him awake. He lay there stiffly, until Marie walked over and sat down next to him.  
She patted her lap with a gentle smile, “Come here.”  
Blushing, Stein laid his head down on her lap. Normally he wouldn’t do so but he was too tired to argue. It was so soft. So warm. He closed his eyes.  
“Just relax…”  
Marie slowly, rhythmically, began stroking Stein’s hair. Stein couldn’t help but let out a sigh of contentment. Marie continued running her fingers through his silver locks.  
Not five minutes later, Stein was fast asleep. Carefully, Marie extricated herself from him and placed his head on a pillow. Smiling, she kissed him on the forehead.  
Then Marie blushed, touching her lips, “What am I doing?”  
But try as she might, she could not resist the handsome man sleeping in front of her. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She stole one more kiss before heading into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of tea.


End file.
